Lee Stempniak registered an assist in the Hurricanes' 3-1 loss to Pittsburgh.

Stempniak has three points in five games since making his season debut on Jan. 12. He was kept out of the lineup for months due to hip and upper-body injuries. Fortunately it looks like rust isn't an issue. Jan 24 - 9:53 AM

It's Stempniak's second game since returning from his upper-body injury. The 34-year-old forward now has two points in two games this season and could be someone to keep an eye on moving forward. Sebastian Aho left the game with a knee injury and if he is out an extended period Stempniak could get a few extra looks on the top line and power play unit. Jan 14 - 6:10 PM

Lee Stempniak registered an assist in his return to the lineup.

Stempnniak, who had missed the entire season to date (43 games) with an assortment of hip and upper-body injuries, was effective on a line with Jeff Skinner and Lucas Wallmark. You may want to put Stempniak on your watch list. Jan 13 - 9:24 AM

Depth Charts

Jordan Staal scored a goal and an assist in a 4-2 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on Saturday night.

Staal was pointless in his last four games before Saturday night's contest versus Philly. His two-point effort was his first since Jan. 12. Staal also recorded a plus-1, and two hits in 20:04 of ice-time. The big centre now has 15 goals and 39 points in 68 games this season.

Victor Rask registered an assist in the Devils' 3-1 win against New Jersey on Friday.

Rask has only been held off the scoresheet once in his last four games. That gives him 12 goals and 27 points in 63 contests this season. Although he's done well lately, he's down from his typical offensive pace and will likely finish below the 40-point mark for the first time since 2014-2015.

Ryan registered an assist on Monday in his 67th game of the 2017-18 campaign. He's also now surpassed his rookie total of 29 points, which he also established during a 67-game span. It took a long time before the 31-year-old got his big chance in the NHL, but he's proven that he can be a solid contributor with the Hurricanes.

Skinner got there by registering an assist on Tuesday in his 67 game of the season. Unfortunately, he's also now gone seven contests without finding the back of the net as he remains stuck at 20 goals. Skinner has surpassed the 30-goal milestone on three separate occasions and finished 2016-17 with 37 markers, but it looks like 2017-18 will be recorded as a down season. That said, goals have a tendency to come in bunches and Skinner might have at least one more big hot streak left in him this campaign. The Hurricanes could certainly use it as they attempt to claw their way into the playoffs.

Before you start going too crazy, the Hurricanes' forward Aho took the penalty on the Islanders' defenseman of the same name. It really happened. The Hurricanes' Aho has 25 goals and 57 points this season and should be started in most leagues. He is Finnish, while the Islanders' Aho was born in Sweden.

Brock McGinn scored two goals in a 3-1 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday night.

McGinn snapped a five-game pointless streak with his two-goal output against Colorado on Saturday. The Canes also got a goal from Jeff Skinner in the win. McGinn now has 10 goals and 21 points in 55 games this season. By comparison, he had 10 goals in his career entering this season.

Williams will have a tough time extending his streak of seasons with at least 20-goals to three campaigns, but he has now gotten at least 15 markers in each of his last five seasons. He also hit the 45-point milestone on Tuesday, which puts him just three shy of his 2016-17 total with enough time left to surpass it. All-in-all, this has been a pretty productive season for the 36-year-old.

Peters referred to Lindholm as "the best player in the game." He had two assists in Carolina's 3-2 victory over Chicago on Thursday. Lindholm also led all Carolina forwards with 21:36 minutes of ice time. He's up to 15 goals and 36 points in 67 contests in 2017-18.

Brett Pesce found the back of the net in Thursday's 2-0 win over the Montreal Canadiens.

Pesce's tally came off a one-timer from the point. His goal at the 2:43 mark of the second period gave the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead at the time. The blue liner finished the night with a plus-1 rating and three shots on goal in 21:04 of ice time. This was his first goal of the season. The 23-year-old has 10 points in 43 games this season. He's a good player, but he won't carry any fantasy value going forward. Brock McGinn also scored for Carolina in this one.

Trevor van Riemsdyk posted his first goal of the season in Tuesday's 3-2 shootout victory in Vegas.

Van Riemsdyk has heated up on the road trip, posting a goal with four points and a plus-6 rating over the past four outings. It's impressive since he had no goals and just three assists across his first 23 contests. Despite the recent hot streak he is still nothing more than a low-end add in deeper seasonal pools at this point. However, he isn't a bad low-priced DFS option while running hot.